LONDON, Jan 29: Even low levels of ozone found in wilderness areas can impair people's breathing, US researchers from Harvard Medical School have found, according to the British New Scientist weekly. A two-year test on 530 hikers in New Hampshire's Mount Washington National Park found that a decline in lung function of two per cent occurred over an eight-hour walk among non-smokers aged between 18 and 64.``These declines were more pronounced in hikers with a history of asthma or wheezing,'' the weekly said. ``Their ozone-related changes were approximately four times greater.''
The greatest cause of high ozone concentrations at ground level is motor vehicle exhausts. ``Physicians, public health officials and the general public should be aware of the potentially negative health impact of relatively low levels of air pollutants, not only among residents of urban and industrial regions, but also among individuals engaged in outdoor recreation in wilderness areas,'' according to study lead author SusanKorrick.
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
